Amarás un Deu
The First Commandment
The author introduces the first commandment to love and serve one God, contrasting the monotheism of the Old Law with the idolatry of the ancient world.
A commandment is to do what is lawful to be done.1 Now the first commandment is to worship, love, and serve one God, since there is only one God alone. You need to believe, my son, that our Lord God gave the law to the Jews on Mount Sinai and commanded that no one should worship or serve anyone but the one God, who made and created all that exists.✦ In those days, son, the Jews were friends of our Lord God, and they believed in him and stood against the peoples who believed in idols of stone, of gold and of silver and of other things; and every prince made out of wood or something else a figure in the likeness of a man, and they worshiped that as if it were God.2 So, for this reason, the King of heaven and earth commanded Israel, who were the Jewish people, that they should not make foreign gods—that is, that they should not make idols—and that they should truly worship only one God.✦ Know, my son, that the law of the Jews was given at the beginning, and that law was called the Old Law; and the law that Christians hold now is called the New Law, which was given by our Lord Jesus Christ—that is, the Gospels you hear read in holy church.
The Purpose of the Old Law
The Old Law served as a necessary preparation for the coming of Christ and the New Law, though the Jews remain in error by failing to recognize this fulfillment.
Do you know, son, why God gave the Jews the Law? So that they would not be in the error the other peoples were in who believed in idols, and so that among their people there would be prophets who would announce the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so that in that people of the Jews Our Lady Saint Mary would be born, in whom the Son of God would take flesh.3 The Law had to come before the New, just as foundations have to come before the room; and because the Jews do not repent of the guilt they bear for bringing about the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, for that reason they are in error and think they keep the Law of Moses, which they do not keep, because they do not follow what the Old signifies about the New.4
The Singleness of Heart
The author exhorts the son to keep only one God in his heart, emphasizing that God's perfection makes Him the only sufficient object of devotion.
Beloved son, have only one God in your heart; for those who love some things more than the true God—who created you and will judge you to heavenly glory or to endless suffering—have many false gods in their hearts.✦✦ If that God I command you to adore and serve had any lack in himself and wasn't enough for what you need, it would be lawful for me to command you to believe in a God who could give you fulfillment.✦5 But since the God of glory I am speaking to you about possesses every perfection, and no one else does, He alone is enough to be your fulfillment.6
The Failure of Witness
The chapter concludes by questioning why the world remains in idolatry and why Christians fail to preach the truth due to a fear of death.
Do you know, son, why there are so many people in the age we're living in who make gods of idols?✦ It's because they have no knowledge of the true God who is in glory. And do you know why we who believe in the God of glory don't go preach to them and show them the God of the whole world? It's because we're afraid of death and fear dying for the sake of showing the God who gives everlasting life in his divine glory.✦
Read the original Latin
Manament es fer so qui es leguda cosa a esser feta. On lo primer manament es adorar, amar e servir un Deu, com que no sia mas un Deu tan solament.
A creure te cové, fill, que nostro Senyor Deus doná la ley dels jueus en lo mont de Sinay, e feu manament que nuyl hom no colgués ne servís mas un Deu, lo qual ha fet e creat tot quant es.
En aquell temps eren, fill, los jueus amics de nostro Senyor Deu, e creíen en ell e eren contra los pobles qui creíen en ydoles de pera, d aur e d argent e d altres coses: e cascun príncep feya de fust o daltra cosa una forma en semblant dom, e aquella adoraven axí com a Deu.
On, per assó lo Rey del cel e de la térra maná a Israel, qui era lo poblé dels jueus, que ells no fessen deus estranys, so es a saber, que no feessen ydoles, e que un Deu vertaderament adorassen tan solament.
Sapies, fill, que la lig dels jueus fo donada en lo comensament, e aquella fo apellada lig veya; e lig nova es apellada la lig que ara tenen los crestians, la qual fo donada per nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ, so son los Evangelis que ous legir en santa esgleya.
¿Sabs, fill, per que Deus doná als jueus la lig? per so que no fossen en la error en la qual eren les altres gents qui creien en les ydoles, e per assó que en lo lur poblé agués prophetes qui denunciassen lo aveniment de nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ, e que en aquell poblé dels jueus nasqués nostra dona Santa María, en la qual se encarnás lo Fill de Deu.
La lig veya covenc esser anans que la nova, enaxi com los fonaments covenen esser anans que la cambra; e car los jueus nos peneden de la culpa que han per so cor tractaren la mort de nostro Senyor Jhesu Christ, per assó son en error e cuyden tenir la lig de Moyse, la qual no tenen, per so car no seguexen so que la vella significa de la nova.
Amable fill, no ages en ton cor mas un Deu; cor aquells han molts deus falsos en lur coratge qui amen més alcunes coses quel Deu vertader quit ha creat e quit jutgerá a gloria celestial o a infinits trebays.
Si aquell Deus que yot man adorar e servir avía en si defalliment e no abastava a assó que a tu es mester, leguda cosa seria a mí quet manas creure en aquell Deu quit poria donar compliment. Mas com lo Deu de gloria de qui yot parle aja en si tot acabament e nol aja alcun altre, ell es sois qui abasta a esser ton compliment.
¿Saps, fill, per que son molts homens en aquest temps en que som, qui fan deus de ydoles? per so car no han conexensa del Deu vertader qui es en gloria. ¿E saps per que nosaltres qui creem lo Deu de gloria nols anam preycar e mostrar lo Deu de tot lo mon? per so car avem paor de mort e temem murir per mostrar lo Deu qui dona vida perpetual en sa gloria divinal.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Exod.20.2-Exod.20.3;Deut.5.6-Deut.5.7 — I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Exod.20.3 — You shall have no other gods before me. Deut.5.6 — I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Deut.5.7 — You shall have no other gods before me.
- ↩Exod.20.3-Exod.20.4;Deut.5.7-Deut.5.8;Deut.6.4-Deut.6.5 — You shall have no other gods before me. Exod.20.4 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or what is on the earth beneath, or what is in the waters beneath the earth. Deut.5.7 — You shall have no other gods before me. Deut.5.8 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any form of what is in the heavens above, or what is on the earth beneath, or what is in the waters beneath the earth. Deut.6.4 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deut.6.5 — And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
- ↩Exod.20.3;Deut.6.4-Deut.6.5 — You shall have no other gods before me. Deut.6.4 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deut.6.5 — And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
- ↩Matt.25.31-Matt.25.46 — When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Matt.25.32 — And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matt.25.33 — And he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at his left. Matt.25.34 — Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Matt.25.35 — For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed me in; Matt.25.36 — I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me. Matt.25.37 — Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?' Matt.25.38 — And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? Matt.25.39 — Or when did we see you sick or in prison, and did not come to you? Matt.25.40 — And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' Matt.25.41 — Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' Matt.25.42 — For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, Matt.25.43 — I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Matt.25.44 — Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve you?' Matt.25.45 — Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly I tell you, as much as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.' Matt.25.46 — And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
- ↩Exod.20.3;Deut.6.4-Deut.6.5 — You shall have no other gods before me. Deut.6.4 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Deut.6.5 — And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
- ↩Exod.20.3-Exod.20.4;Deut.5.7-Deut.5.8 — You shall have no other gods before me. Exod.20.4 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or what is on the earth beneath, or what is in the waters beneath the earth. Deut.5.7 — You shall have no other gods before me. Deut.5.8 — You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any form of what is in the heavens above, or what is on the earth beneath, or what is in the waters beneath the earth.
- ↩John.3.16 — For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life.
Notes
- 1 ↩Medieval Catalan leguda = lawful/licit (cf. lícita); rendered as "lawful," not merely "good" or "fitting."
- 2 ↩Medieval Catalan *dom* read as *d'om* ('of a man'): a human-shaped image/idol, not 'home' or another noun.
- 3 ↩Medieval Catalan 'denunciassen' here means announce/proclaim, not modern English 'denounce'.
- 4 ↩Medieval Catalan 'veya covenc esser anans' is read as 'it was fitting / had to come before' (convenir + anans = abans). 'nos peneden' is read as 'no s'peneden' (they do not repent), not first-person 'we'.
- 5 ↩Medieval Catalan 'compliment' here means completion/fulfillment (what perfects or completes the person), not modern English 'compliment'.
- 6 ↩'acabament' rendered as 'perfection' (full completeness); 'compliment' again as 'fulfillment,' matching s1.
Doctrine for Children — Opening companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit